1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of pacing methods such as metronome-enhanced rhythmic pacing. More particularly, it concerns a reading exercise method for increasing a reader's reading rate.
2. The Background Art
It is known in the art to produce rhythmic sound sequences to assist in pacing certain activities such as music, speaking and reading. For example, metronomes are used to provide a rhythmic beat which can be increased and decreased. Users desiring to increase the tempo of their musical exercises, speaking rate or reading speed may gradually increase the rhythmic beat of the metronome and increase the rate of their activity correspondingly.
A conventional way of exercising one's reading speed is to simply read text at a pace set by a metronome-type device. Speed readers often practice by reading one line of text for each beat cycle of the metronome. As the beat frequency of the metronome is increased, the user is compelled to read the lines of text at a faster rate in order to keep pace with the beat cycles.
Some of the early attempts to improve the state of the art in the field of timing and pacing have focused on the device and not the method. U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,076 (issued to Burson, Jr. on Jul. 18, 1967) discloses a portable transistorized oscillator unit for producing audible impulses or clicks at adjustable rates. However, the method of use was essentially the same: simply increase the beat frequency to increase the reading rate.
More recent attempts to improve the state of the art are touted as novel methods, but are essentially new devices for performing the same old method. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,775,322 and 5,033,966 (issued to Behunin on Oct. 4, 1988 and Jul. 23, 1991, respectively) disclose sound systems for producing cyclic stereophonic sound patterns in the form of panning sound sequences. A sound source is panned stereophonically from left to right then right to left to pace a reader's eye movement accordingly. Volume adjustment is used to enhance the panning effect, for example by increasing the volume as the sound is panned stereophonically from left to right. The Behunin patents teach additional effects such as pitch adjustment and stenopaic goggles used to block visual distractions to the reader's line of sight.
Some attempts have been made to improve the actual method of use of the sound patterns. For example, "ramp" and "push-up" functions have been used to help increase effort on the part of the reader. The ramp method involves increasing the frequency of an audible beat cycle over a period of time, such as a three to five minute period, from an initial rate to a new increased rate. The reader keeps pace with the increasing beat cycle to achieve the new rate. The push-up method essentially involves performance of the ramp method a number of consecutive times. For example, instead of a one-time increase from an initial rate to a new increased rate, the frequency is abruptly dropped back down to the initial rate and again uniformly increased to the new increased rate. This is done two or more times in order to gradually condition the reader for performance at the increased rate. However, it can be seen by those familiar with the field that the ramp and push-up methods are mere reformulations of the old method: a mere uniform increase of the beat frequency to increase the reading rate.
Inspection of the prior art thus reveals that many of the improvements involve either elaborate devices which fail to significantly induce increased effort by the reader, or mere reformulations of the old methods. It is in fact a common thread in many areas of endeavor in modern society that people tend to pursue additional gadgetry instead of additional effort when attempting to improve performance. Applicant has discovered that reading rates can be improved without fancy goggles or stereophonic sound shows, if readers are simply induced to increase their effort. Of current interest are methods and devices which provide improved ways to increase effort and speed in activities such as reading, musical exercises and the like.